When we normally think of a zombie film, we think of decay, rot and gloom; so who knew there would be so many cheerful Flowers in MAGGIE? Actually, these are Arnold’s costars: Aiden and Carsen Flowers, who play Schwarzenegger’s youngest children in the zombie drama. You’ll see these talented kids soon enough when Maggie comes out on May 8th. While you are impatiently awaiting the film’s release, here’s an exclusive interview we had with the Flowers.
TheArnoldFans: Who are your characters? Tell me about the kids you play?
Aiden Flowers: I play Bobby Vogel, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character and sister of Maggie Vogel, (played by Abbigail Breslin). Bobby is very shy and sensitive and loves his sisters and family.
Carsen Flowers: I play Molly Vogel, Abby and Aiden’s little sister and Mr. Arnold’s daughter. She’s really sweet.
TheArnoldFans: When you're surrounded by so many talented actors, do you ever get caught up in their emotions and start to believe that they are REALLY scared or angry? For instance, when Arnold is crying or angry in a scene, do you sometimes forget you're in a movie and just start to believe that Arnold is scared or crying?
Aiden: No, not at all. It may seem like that for a couple of seconds but it’s not like that really because afterwards they’re like, “Whew! Glad I’m done with that. Let’s move on to the next scene."
Carsen: I’ve actually never seen him cry, but I think I would probably get emotional if I saw a big guy like Mr. Arnold cry.
TheArnoldFans: Did you have any idea who Arnold was when you were hired onto this film?
Aiden: Yes I did. I’d heard about the Terminator several times before and he was actually number one on my list of people to meet. And now I can tell people I’ve met him so I guess that’s pretty neat.
Carsen: I knew he was playing my dad but I didn’t know as much about him as I do now.
TheArnoldFans: How many days were you on the set and did you make any cast or crew friends?
Aiden: I think we were there two weeks. I always make new friends on set. The Maggie cast and crew was great!
Carsen: I made tons of friends and I don’t really remember how long I was on set.
TheArnoldFans: At your age, especially the Carsen (younger), kids sometimes think monsters and zombies are real. Did you see any zombies when you were on the set and were they frightening to you?
Aiden: I did not see any Zombies on set unless you count Maggie (Abbigail Breslin). But every once in a while I think that sometimes they’re real but I know that they really aren’t.
Carsen: Actually, I have not seen any zombies on set but I have seen makeup of zombie feet in the makeup trailer.
TheArnoldFans: What's your best Arnold story and your best Abigail story?
Aiden: With Arnold it was when we first met him. We were in the makeup trailer and they asked if we wanted to meet him so we obviously said yes. He came in and he talked to us like he already knew us, and my dad was just starstruck. He didn’t say a word. It was pretty funny. With Abbigail, when we were filming our big scene we were up on the roof and Abbigail started to sing and I asked what she was singing and she said, “Eh, something.” Then I started to sing and Abbigail said, “What are you singing?” and I said, “Eh, something” and we both just laughed.
Carsen: My best Arnold story was when we were roasting hot dogs in the movie and one of them dropped and he told me to pick it up. When I did it was really, really hot and after that he asked if I was ok. It showed he really cared about me. He was really nice. My best Abby story was when we gave Abby a stuffed animal (a turkey Beanie Boo) just like ours. I know she liked it because she had a big smile on her face.
TheArnoldFans: What was the most challenging thing for you during filming?
Aiden: Actually, the most challenging scene was when me and Carsen were asked to act like we were playing with Abby and I didn’t know exactly what to do because I’ve never had to act like I was playing. It was weird.
Carsen: Staying still in hair and makeup because I was ready to be on set. I was excited!
TheArnoldFans: What was the most amazing thing you saw Arnold do on set?
Aiden: Pick up my little sister Carsen when she had to run up to him and yell, “Daddy.”
Carsen: Burn the field. You’ll see!
Look for Aiden to soon star in The Big Short with Brad Pitt and Christian Bale. Aiden plays the 11-year-old Christian Bale. Carsen can be seen in 2015’s Runaway Hearts and she’s now filming The Free State of Jones with Matthew McConaughey.
